Center filling and bracing of carloads



Nov. 3, 1953 H. c. PIERCE CENTER FILLING AND BRACING OF CARLOADS Filed 001:. 50, 1948 I N V EN TOR. E'JQOLD C. .p/ERCE,

IOTTOQNE Patented Nov. 3, 1953 2,657,644 7 QENTEB FJL G A D BBACING F CARLOADS V Harold 0. Pierce, Pomona, Calif. Appl cation O tober 30, ,48 r a No. 7,439

12 c a s. (01. 105- 369) s vent on a to do wit 1- WR YQm n S in the loading of box cars with box loads, typial o d c su h a t a ts e resem le wherein the load consists of individual stacks of xe alined i rows x ndi s JQIl and transverselyof the oar. Rarticularlythe innt on relat s to. internal y b ace and pa e s, a d spec cal y a ha rm @f 195 Wher in the boxes are stacked bottom down and the transverse box rows are spaced apart.

One of m p imar o je i to lacq mp is m e o ce er loadi g f aca w ile inte lly bracin andspae ng the Q row t a end r sult w ich ifiso eh h h seo con en tional :forms of brao s and spacers w uld preclude the possibility of finally -fillingin qhebpx da t e enter. Q t ec r orano e ts side do r- Co de ng pas pract ces it h s bee cu p toma y to p ace the jbq e t n e arb l adin f o oppos t end tow d vthe c n er andw t some p s, such as ci us loads, whi h requir no internal bracing or spacing of at leastthe lower box tiers, it n gen p ssible to fully load h c n lu ns,itso nte sect ql bb fi inain the box stacks totheoentral floorrar ea to be occupied by one or two transverse rows, then fsqueezing the load sections toward the ends of ,the gear to open the center area .shfiiciently to permit accommodation of thermal transverse row or rows; 'Wheraon the other hand, the load requires internal bracingand spacin'g','as for e ample in conventional melon loads in which vertical brace-spacers are inserted between the transverse rows and also between the box stacks in those rows, it has not been possible to finally load the centgrsection because of atheinterference of the braces with the boxes. "That is to say, after insertion of a box stack at' the end of a transverserow areafinallyvtobe filled in, the box arrangement interfe svwithflan'y further place ment of the bra ceslthatlinight ,bede'sired to give a uniformly. braced ,and. spaced condition of the load within the..jcenter section as well as the. end section of thenar.

Consequently, vthe practice' ghas been ,to .load

the carfrom both'ends' toan unoccupied center 7 space. Thispracticehas a number of limitations and undesirable ieatures,ja n ong whichjare the loss of center loadcari'yingIcapacitylinthe car. the expense and fwork inc'identjtoji stallationlof thetsuaortmg; wa sa i t l k orunir rmi y iii th up rt a d spacing given the boxes longitudinally throughout the entire lo'ad.

In accordance with the invention, it now beom s poss 'e' o 'iul y l a th a udi it centersection; and in so doing to correspondingly' increase'the load carrying capacity of the car, to entir ly limit the work and expense of restoring the conventional supporting frames or gates, and toafiordthroughout the load a uniform system of bracing and spacing. Generally speaking, the invention contemplates the use of 'a box'brace and spacer in'the form of a memb eceivab betw e and n o r app relation w h ad acen fa port on of oppo ed pairs of .bojx' "stacks in the transverse rows, the brace preferably b'eijngvertically extended so that a sin le jm mber w l have the stat d ov pi relation with all'the jooxes in the individual stacks. V T he po'si H of'tl 1 e brace Inember'is st bilized transv rs y or t e oad p o n th mem e with? D I B ZPb b tween" adjacentyeli lcal walls of the engaged stacks. "In'this connectionit may be mentioned tha v re erabwfem oy a b a e s mb o t typ i clos d i m P@ten ,2 i26 u d Eeb ua yfilil19 h vin a pro ectin p rti n suf cient y t in t he on ,i it r sas men o the adjacent wall of thejstacks inthe transverse rowsso'that 'considering'the loadas a whole, the box sta clgs are spaced longitudinally but not transverselyf o'f thegcar. For the sake of uni: forrnity in the bracestp be used throughout the load, "all the "braces may be substantially T? shaped in cro ,at least at the location of theproje'ot ns, the cross or head portion'of the T be ng? I i ed between e transverse ro a th rem n s o webror ion extending 10 1- situdinall .o thel oa ybetwe h .bd wa l Thu v th brac s a e 5 ar a P sively placedflas thejload is ,filled in from the end t ward t teete 6f t e c F a e fori exam'ple vonly a single transverse row center rs remains u fi led the.. 9 d d z 'a a th .r n erl ti nlfills ibrfirs p ane i Posii ihQPQ iaq onee o t e spa f t en v ns rtin h oe withthe pr motions tion is filled.

Th r iie ta nt-b slinds w mor o ullr a -twi e a ant e ti m. iheiiol fq ie fi 3 tailed description of an illustrative embodiment as shown by the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the load and bracing system arrangement in the car; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing particularly the center section of the load and illustrating the method of filling-in, bracing and spacing the box stacks opposite the car door opening.

Referring first to Fig. 1, I have diagrammatically illustrated the conventional refrigerator box car as having side walls In, end walls H and a slatted floor structure l2 through which refrigerated air may be circulated upwardly between the transverse rows of the box load l3. As shown in Fig. 2, the car has central side door openings I4, one of which is closed by the door l5 during final center loading of the car through the opposite opening l4 whose door is swung open. When closed, the inner surfaces of the doors are substantially in alinement with the inside surfaces of the side walls 10.

The box load l3 consists of vertical stacks [6 of boxes I! which may be considered placed with their bottoms down and side walls in vertical alinement. Ihe box stacks [6 are alined in rows I8 extending longitudinally of the car, and in spaced rows l9 running transversely of the car. As particularly illustrated in Fig. 1, each end transverse row l9 may be spaced. from the end wall ll of the car by braces extending from the fioor l2 the full height of the stacks l6, and in overlapping relation with the surfaces of adjacent stacks, as shown. At its corners, the end transverse row may be spaced from both the end and side walls of the car by unit brace assemblies, generally indicated at 2|, each comprising a section 22 extending the height of the box stacks and interposed between the end stack and the car end wall ll, section 22 corresponding in thickness to the braces 20. Section 22 is secured to the inner face of a spacer block 23 having right angle surfaces 24 and 25 bearing respectively against the end and side walls of the car. Each block 23 has an angular face 26 to which is secured a second brace piece or section 26a engaging and overlapping the surfaces of all the boxes in the end stack to positively position them in spaced relation to the car side wall.

In loading the car, the end transverse stack row I9 is filled in against the braces 20 and 2|, following which a second set of braces 20a and 21 are put in place. Each brace assembly 21 is similar to the described assembly 23, in that it comprises a pair of vertical sections 28 and 29 secured to the trapezoidal spacer blocks 30. Here the section 28, corresponding in thickness to braces 20a, is received between adjacent transverse rows to space them apart, and section 29, secured to corresponding angular faces of the blocks 30 serves, as before, to positively space end stacks from the car wall. Braces 20a are retained against movement transversely within the load by thin metallic projections 32, a pair of which may be carried by each brace to be inserted between adjacent stacks of the transverse row 19. As illustrated, projections 32 are sufiiciently thin to permit substantial engagement of the vertical stack surfaces between which they are inserted. Accordingly, after the end transverse row H! has been filled in to the car, brace assemblies 21 and their intermediate braces 2011 are put in place preparatory to loading into the car of the sec-- ond transverse stack row [9a. At this point it 4 may be mentioned that braces 20 may carry projections similar to projections 32, for reception between the boxes. Further details concerning the brace arrangement and construction may be had by reference to my Patent 2,585,269 referred to above.

As Fig. 2 will illustrate, the described procedure is followed in filling in the box stacks in spaced transverse rows from opposite ends of the car toward its center opposite the open door, spacers 20a having been inserted progressively between and as the transverse rows are filled in to a center space S centrally opposite the door openings. Thus the load will have been filled in up to this center space, following which a conventional car squeeze (not shown) is moved into the center space to engage and displace the load sections toward the ends of the car, and thus open or widen the center space sufiiciently for its reception of a finally filled-in transverse center row l9b. After completion of the squeezing operation, box stack [6a then is put in place against side spacer assemblies 210. engaged against the closed car door 15. Then intermediate spacers 2019 are positioned as illustrated, with their projections 32a pointed inwardly of the space S, as distinguished from the oppositely pointing projections carried by braces 2011. Box stack Hib then is filled in against the projections 32a and stack ifia, spacers 200 with their inwardly pointing projections are put in place, and so on until the transverse row I9?) is filled out to the door opening 14. Side spacer assemblies indicated by' the dotted lines at 21b are then put in place and the door 15 closed against them to confine the center section of the load.

As will be apparent from the foregoing, the invention permits maintenance of the center section of the load in the same supported and spaced condition as the end sections of the load, thus affording uniformity in the load bracing and spacing throughout the length of the car. Reversal of the braces 2% with relation to the positions of braces 20a permits filling in the center space S, while maintaining the aforesaid uniformity in the load condition.

Since practically all refrigerator cars have standard internal dimensions, and since the boxes used in shipping a particular type of produce also have standard dimensions, the various spacers may be so dimensioned that the entire load exactly fills the standard car. Where a car squeeze is used before filling in the last row of boxes, the action of the squeeze may be so controlled as to leave exactly the right spacing at the center of the car to receive one row of boxes and the associated spacers.

I claim:

1. In a box car having a centrally located side door opening, a load comprising individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car and substantially filling the car including its central portion opposite said opening, and substantially T-shaped members having their head portions interposed between and spacing apart the transverse box rows opposite said opening and web portions projecting between adjacent vertical walls of the stacks.

2. In a box car having a centrally located side door opening, a load comprising individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car and substantially filling the car including its central portion opposite said opening, members interposed adjacent ver cal walls of stacks in said central rpw,

successive transverse rows of boxes opposite opening b n pacedap'art distances in'each fl szi all temper d with the x d inens en l 3- il a b x ha i it qn i'a l a d Sid comprisihgindividual tacks rallel rows-extending trans- W M ally of the car and substani' 1 .fillins th' r 'nc g its central portion ppposite said opening members interposed between and spacing apart successive transverse rows beyond both sides of a central transverse row, said members including projections extending therefrom away from said central row and between adj a'cent vertical walls of the stacks, and spacer members interposed between and spacing apart said central row and adjacent transverse rows, the last mentioned members including proj'ections extending only'inwardly of and between adjacent vertical walls of stack'sin said central row, all of said members comprising wooden braces extending upwardly from the car floor in overlapping relation with all the boxes in the engaged stacks, and all of said projections comprising metallic elements sufiiciently thin to permit interengagement of the stack walls between which they are received, successive transverse rows of boxes opposite said opening being spaced apart distances in each instance small as compared with the box dimensions.

4. The method of loading a box car having a centrally located side door opening, that includes filling into the car from its ends to a transverse central area opposite said door individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car, inserting spacers between adjacent transverse rows to maintain them in spaced relation and also portions of the spacers between successive stacks in the spaced transverse rows, filling into said transverse central area a last transverse row of individual box stacks substantially filling said area, and inserting spacers narrow as compared with the box dimensions between the last mentioned filled-in stacks and the adjacent transverse rows and also between adjacent stacks in the filled-in transverse row progressively as the stacks 'are filled into said central area.

5. In a box car having a centrally located side door opening, a load comprising individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car and substantially completely filling the car including its central portion opposite said opening, and spacer members of essentially T-shaped horizontal section having their head portions interposed between and spacing apart a central grou of box stacks and adjacent transverse box rows, said T- shaped members having their web portions extending inwardly of said central group of stacks and between adjacent vertical walls of stacks in said group, said central group of box stacks having across the width of the load a uniform dimension longitudinally of the load.

6. In a box car having a centrally located side door cpeningaioad comprisingindividual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending trans versely and longitudinally of the car and substantially filling the car including its central por.- tion opposite said opening, members interposed between and spacing apart adjacent transverse rows beyond both sides of a central group of box stacks, said members including projections ex tending therefrom away from said central group and between adjacent vertical walls of the stacks, and spacer members of essentially T-shaped horizontal section having their head portions interposed between and spacing apart said central group of boxes and adjacent transverse rows, the web portions of said ff-shaped members extending inwardly of and between adjacent vertical walls of stacks in said central group, said central group of box stacks having across the width of the load a uniform dimension longitudinally of the load.

7. In a box car having a centrally located side door opening, a load comprising individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car and substantially completely filling the car including its central portion opposite said opening, and spacer members of essentially l -shaped horizontal section having their head portions interposed between and spacing apart a central group of box stacks and adjacent transverse box rows, said T-- shaped members having their web portions ex tending inwardly of said central group of stacks and between adjacent vertical walls of stacks in said group, said central group of box stacks having across the width of the load a uniform dimension longitudinally of the load, said head portions of said members comprising elongated. wooden braces extending upwardly from the car floor in engaging and overlapping relation with adjacent transverse face portions of opposed pairs of the stacks, and said web portions of the mem-- bers comprising metallic elements sufficiently thin to permit interengagement of the stack walls between which they are received.

8. In a box car having a centrally located side door opening, a load comprising individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows exending transversely and longitudinally of the car and substantially filling the car including its central por tion opposite said opening, members interposed between and spacing apart adjacent transverse box rows opposite said opening, the dimensions of said members longitudinally of the car being in each instance small as compared with the box dimensions to space the rows apart a correspondingly small distance, and means holding said inefinbers in their spacing positions within the 9. In a box car having a centrally located side door opening, a load comprising individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car and substantially filling the car including its central portion opposite said opening, members interposed between and spacing apart adjacent transverse box rows opposite said opening, the dimensions of said members longitudinally of the car being in each instance small as compared with the box dimensions to space the rows apart a correspondingly small distance, said members extending vertically and in engaged and overlapping relation with adjacent transverse face portions of opposed pairs of the stacks, and means holding said members in their spacing positions within the load.

10. In a box car having a centrally located side versely and longitudinally of the car and substantially filling the car including its central portion opposite said opening, adjacent vertical walls of the box stacks in said transverse rows being interengaged, and members interposed between and spacing apart adjacent transverse rows opposite said opening, the dimensions of said members longitudinally of the car being in each instance small as compared with the box dimensions to space the rows apart a correspondingly small distance, said members extending vertically and in overlapping relation with adjacent transverse face portions of opposed pairs of stacks and including projections extending between said engaged vertical walls of the stacks to hold the members in their spacing positions within the load.

11. The method of loading a box car having a centrally located side door opening, that includes filling into the car from its ends to a. transverse central area opposite said door individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car, inserting spacers between adjacent transverse rows to maintain them in spaced relation, filling into said transverse central area a last group of box stacks substantially filling said area, and inserting spacers narrow as compared with the box dimensions between the last mentioned filled-in stacks and the adjacent transverse rows pro gressively as the stacks are filled into said central area.

12. The method of loading a box car having a centrally located side door opening, that includes filling into the car from its ends to a transverse central area opposite said door individual stacks of boxes alined in parallel rows extending transversely and longitudinally of the car, displacing said filled-in box stacks by a car squeeze toward opposite ends of the car and away from said central area of the car, inserting spacers between ad- .ja-cent transverse rows to maintain them in spaced relation, filling into said transverse central area a last transverse row of individual box stacks in alinement longitudinally of the car with the first mentioned stacks and substantially filling said area, and inserting spacers narrow as compared with the box dimensions between the last mentioned filled-in stacks and the adjacent transverse rows progressively as the stacks are filled into said central area.

HAROLD C. PIERCE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,256 Hoak Jan. 26, 1943 2,475,719 Pierce July 12, 1949 

